City of Glass

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-5

Part 1, Chapter 6-Part 2, Chapter 10

Part 2, Chapters 11-15

Part 3, Chapter 16-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Lake Lyn/the Mortal Glass

Lake Lyn, also known as the Mortal Glass, is one of the three Mortal Instruments— objects of great power in the Shadowhunter world—of which their mystery and obscurity are emblematic of the elusive nature of power. For centuries, the Mortal Glass has been lost because the Shadowhunters believed it was a traditional mirror. It’s never made clear whether the lake was meant to be the mirror or if the angels disguised the mirror as a lake to keep Shadowhunters like Valentine from abusing the power of the Mortal Instruments—pointing to the book’s engagement with the theme of Power and Its Restrictions. When combined, the Mortal Instruments—mirror, cup, and sword—allow a Shadowhunter to summon the angel Raziel and compel one favor from him. The original Shadowhunter, a human at the time, asked for a way to fight off the demons threatening to overrun Earth. That request birthed the Shadowhunter race and their divine mission to protect the world from evil.

After Clary portals to Idris and lands in the lake, she falls ill because the lake is somehow poisonous to Shadowhunters, perhaps to make the Mortal Glass even harder to discover—another defense the angels set in place to keep Shadowhunters from abusing the Mortal Instruments’ power. In contrast, downworlders experience no ill effects from imbibing the waters of Lake Lyn. The main physiological difference between Shadowhunters and downworlders is their blood—Shadowhunters are part angel, and downworlders are part demon. It may be that the lake has demonic properties that negatively affect Shadowhunters while leaving downworlders unharmed. It may also be that Clary experienced a greater reaction to the lake’s water because of her enhanced angel blood. Regardless, Lake Lyn’s adverse effect on Shadowhunters suggests that the angels view Shadowhunters as more likely than downworlders to abuse its power.

Runes

Runes play a significant role in Shadowhunter culture and in The Mortal Instruments series, symbolizing—both literally and figuratively—the unique power and abilities imbued in them by their blood and training. Shadowhunters use runes to give them advantages in combat and everyday protections and skills, such as seeing beyond the glamors put in place to conceal downworlders and demons from mundane humans. Some runes are permanent, requiring only one application, but others must be redrawn when their benefits are needed. Runes for things like speed, endurance, and sure-footedness are easy to draw but wear off quickly, suggesting that more complex runes are stronger and have longer staying power.

Most runes that Shadowhunters use come from the Gray Book—an ancient book of runes given to Shadowhunters by the angels. However, Clary’s unique gift with runes allows her to create new runes and also to access runes that are not found in the Gray Book, a power unheard of in Shadowhunter history. The most prominent example in City of Glass is the pairing rune the Shadowhunters and downworlders use in the final battle. The angel imprisoned by Valentine shows Clary the rune, but she is unsure of its meaning until she thinks about Shadowhunters and downworlders working together, suggesting that Clary’s gift is both creation and interpretation of the new runes. Clary’s new runes may also be applied to downworlders, something that isn’t possible with runes from the Gray Book, implying a new progression in Shadowhunter culture and identity—a disruption of old ways of thinking and an embrace of a new era.

Alicante

Alicante is the “City of Glass,” the titular location of the book, representing the insularity of the Clave and the Shadowhunters’ seat of power. The entire city is not made of glass—rather, its “demon towers” shine like glass, with an old-world architecture that gives it an ancient feel. Most of the book takes place in or around Alicante, and the city itself represents the often myopic nature of Shadowhunters. Downworlders may only enter the city with permission from the Clave, and they must do so through a specific gate, showing the distrust Shadowhunters have toward downworlders. Shadowhunters are willing to allow downworlders onto sacred ground, but there must be a good reason, and every downworlder who visits is carefully monitored.

Alicante’s demon towers—tall structures with glass crystals at their peaks—hold powerful wards that protect the city, keeping demons from crossing its borders. When Luke brings Clary to Amatis’s house, he passes through the wards, revealing that protective spells do not flag all demon blood, suggesting either that there is a minimum threshold of demon blood that triggers the wards’ protection or that its magic differentiates downworlders from demons. This may also explain how Sebastian is able to pass through the wards with his demon blood, which is presumably stronger than that found in downworlders. It may also be that, disguised as Sebastian—a known Shadowhunter—he is automatically invited into the city and that demons could cross the wards if they were invited to do so—alluding to the subjectivity of Alicante’s restrictions.